Field Study Day 5

July 15, 2010

On this day I completed my final 3 hours of field experience giving me a total of 16 hours. Today started off like any other day but I knew it would not be because it was time to say good bye to these precious students that I truly cherished.

I wanted to do something special for the children so I went out and bought them each a coloring book with a box of crayons. I put them in cute little bags so that they could all have an activity to do for the summer. I also wrote something inside each one and even though they cant read it yet I hope one day when they can they will remember a little bit about me, if not at least they know I was there and that they touched my life.

I had asked Mrs. Flores if I could bring in a book that I read in my EC Reading class and she said yes. The reason I wanted to bring this book was because it had to be one of my favorite. At UHD I have an amazing reading professor who shares all these great books for children. I her class I have learned some of most valuable ideas I have had from school.

The book is the one from the photo it is called "BYE BYE TIME" by Elizabeth Verdick. It is for toddlers and up and it addresses the separation anxiety that children may feel when a caregiver leaves them temporarily. It discusses feelings they may have, coping mechanisms, and the helpfulness of creating a ritual...The pictures are upbeat and expressive. It is a great book so that children have the best good bye and not see it as a sad thing instead as a good thing. They all seemed to love it and even thought I was only there 5day I did not want to hurt their feeling when I said good bye for good.

The field experience was amazing and there are many little details I will always remember. Some are all the different gadgets available to the students and others are cute ones like the rope that Mrs. Flores uses to keep the students in line when leaving the classroom. It is a colorful rope with handles for the students so that they each grab on and for the person behind them. It is so cute and also the students find it entertaining. The biggest memory I will have of all of them is their smile! even though I was not able to take photos of them for privacy reasons I have them all in my hearts.

The day was finally over and it was time for my good bye. I did not tell then they would never see me again I just made sure I said a proper goodbye. I didn't want to upset any and I figure that they would most likely forget about me in a couple of days and keep smiling. Most as usual hugged me and rubbed my pregnant belly. They were truly exceptional!!!

I really want to thank Mrs. Flores and Mrs. Ruiz for all of their help. They are truly hard working educators and they bothered to take the time to explain things with detail to me. I am very grateful that they were able to let me in to their classroom, I know with summer school it is hard to be approved because of finger prints, etc. To all you students who did your field experience do not forget to thank your teachers or who ever assisted you with the Field Study. A thank you card or gift card goes a long way.

I LOVE MRS. FLORES SPECIAL EDUCATION SUMMER 2010 CLASS!!!!!